Helmets Helmet advice needed

arkie

arkie

Joined
Sep 11, 2009
Messages
31
Location
Conway Arkansas
I am in the market for a new helmet. I have an HJC CL15 (I think). It does not have all of the features on it that I would like, and I get a lot of wind noise from it.

I am looking for a full face helmet that has:

1) a built in visor that can disappears into the helmet when the sun is not in my eyes.
2) built in speakers (wireless would be nice that can work with an i-phone)
3) less wind noise than I have now

Any ideas?

Thanks,

Arkie
 
Nolan trilogy? Don't know about wind noise though.
FWIW I would wear ear plugs with speakers which you could mount in your existing helmet.
Or earbuds with a comm system to hook up to the iphone.
At speed pretty much any helmet is gonna damage your ears over time. ymmv
 
The Nolan probably comes close to what you are looking for in features. The small visor is on the outside of this helmet.
http://www.nolanhelmets.com/n84ncom.htm
The Schuberth is probably the quietest I have seen, but they are pricey.
http://www.schuberth.com/index.php?id=2&L=1
Most helmets that offer good ventilation will tend to be on the noisy side.
I don't use a Nolan or a Schuberth, so I can't offer an opinion. I use powered ear plugs for quiet and quality sound when I want it.
 
I have both the HJC CL-SP and the HJC IS-16. I really like the IS-16.

The visor works really nice, I use it all the time.
I have speakers installed for the Autocom system. They installed easier in the IS-16 than the SP.
The fit and finish if much better that the SP. It is also lighter.
NOTE: it is a DOT helmet. It will not meet the Snell 2005 standard. However, it does meet the European standards and will come very close to the Snell 2010.
A good source of info is Todd at the Helmet Harbor www.helmetharbor.com . I was concerned about the safety ratings. After looking at a ton of on-line info and talking with Todd, it isn't that much of a concern. This might get me into trouble, there's some very strong information that the DOT is a better standard than the Snell 2005 - anyway I'm rambling.

the IS-16 is a great buy at under $200. Has features that both the Shoei and Arai helmets have, just not as pricey. that's my $0.02
 
One important consideration with the built in visors. Some (perhaps all) interfere with the top vents when they are retracted. 'Tis the case with the HJC Symax II. If you live anywhere it can be warm and dark, know that you may be sacrificing a cool pate for that visor.
 
I too am in the market for a full face helmet. I normally wear a 3/4 face, but after visiting my riding buddy in the hospital this week (broken pelvic bone from a hit and run driver?totaled the bike), I definitely want a full face.
I live in south Florida and wonder if there are any good full face helmets with a flip up front when it is just too hot?
 
I have a scorpion EXO-1000 with built in visor (great), also has full anti-fog shield, lots of air vents, removable components for washing (hmmm reminds me) and pump-up cheeks for those that need a little firmer fit.

It is quieter than my last helmet which was a modular HJC. Overall I like the fit and comfort factor and the reduced noise. Also has an adapter to keep the visor open a 1/2" to allow even more circulation. :04biker:
 
I was in the market for a helmet until a few days ago. I purchased an Icon Alliance about a year ago not knowing if I was going to like riding and to get through the motorcycle safety course. The MSF course was easier to take and pass for me as I did not have a bike at the time. Anyway, passed the course, got the endorsement and picked up my first bike (after about 30 years) - a 2003 ST. So at the end of this year I wanted to upgrade my helmet and get it custom painted. After trying on every helmet I could find I settled on the Arai Corsair V. It is a very comfortable fit for me, I could wear it all day long. The Icon was okay but wanted to get a custom paint job on a helmet that would last awhile. I wanted a helmet that was:
much lighter (the Icon is 4.1lbs)
better visibility
less prone to buffeting
removable linings
lots of airflow
minimal fogging
better fit

I met most of my criteria, though it isn't as light weight as I wanted. The Corsair fits so well and flows a LOT more air. I rode with it Monday morning before sending it off to be painted just to make sure I like it, and had to close ALL of the forward vents on top before my head froze. At least double the airflow of the Icon.

There is also a pin system for inner shields that is supposed to eliminate condensation. I'll try one of those when I get the helmet back. Anyway, loved the helmet and the ride into work. I had the windshield all the way down, and at 95mph, the buffeting was much better.

From all I read, comfortable fit is one of the highest criteria and I will agree with that, along with light weight. I wish they would have made this helmet out of carbon fiber to make it lighter yet, but it is remarkably lighter than the Icon.

Also, look up www.webbikeworld.com for a comprehensive evaluation of helmets. One I really liked was the Akuma but could not find anyone local that had one I could try on.

Mike
 
I used to have Nolan N102. Was quite happy with it. Only problem was the sunvisor that scraped the visor (well, I threw that away and am using sunglasses anyways) and the pin-lock anti-fog visor that also scraped a line to my visual field.
Then decided to change to upgrade to N103 as my old 102 (used it for aprox 40000km) started slightly leaking from the upper seal at visor. Was enthusiastic as 103 has the internal sun visor and looks pretty nice also.
I got one with 50% discount due to the tiny color-defect and was happy about it ....
... until I took it to the road - absolutely annoyingly noisy (compared to 102), visor does not lock to the "tiny-bit-open" positions (well, it does, but only up to 70 km/h, windscreen down). And when it shuts because of the wind, it makes a loud noise (just like a cheap plastic Gustavsberg toilet-seat would do) and might scare the crap out of you in the process.
So - luckily I didn't yet throw away my 102, and managed to sell 103 with a little profit :p . Now am back to the process of hunting the perfect flip-up...

In short - combination Nolan N103, ST 1300, stock windshield, 183 cm height does not work. YMMW
 
I had several different bikes before my ST (sport, cruisers and a Gold Wing). I also wore a number of different helmet brands (full face, open face, modular etc...). I came to a conclusion that there is nothing safer then a full face helmet. It fits better the style of riding that is done on the ST or any other sport touring bike. Retractable sun visors is a gimmick (in my opinion). I would go with the SHOEI or the ARAI. (whichever fits you more comfortably). ARAI will cost more. You might want to check out the newly released SHOEI 1100 series. For sun protection you can wear sun glasses or tinted visors. Both, SHOEI and ARAI's visors can be easily and quickly exchanged. This is my .02c. Good luck.
 
I had a Nolan 102 but wasn't at all happy with the external visor. At higher speed or in a big gust with the visor in the up position it would suddenly flip down on its own and scare the hell out of me. There wasn't any way to adjust the friction to keep it up. Beyond that, the external visor created a lot of wind noise. I've been very happy with the fit and noise of a Shoei 1000 and deal with the sun shade problem by putting a strip of static-cling window shade film along the top inch of the shield.
 
+1 for the comfort comment, again that was one of my top criteria. The other was the ability to wear glasses. My Icon is terrible for eyeglasses, fortunately I get by okay without but when I'm really tired at the end of the day or when driving at night, glasses help alot. With the Icon, my glasses would ride up on my face when wearing bi-focals it gets a little disconcerting when all goes suddenly blurry.

The Arai seemed to work best with glasses for me, so now I can wear sunglasses too if I want or need to. For me, the shaded visor and its hardware adds more weight. Helmet weight seems to be an underrated point. The way I think of it is, the higher the weight of the helmet, the more pressure on your neck, vertebrate and upper back and in the unlikely event of a crash, the added weight becomes a multiplier for g-forces and inertia your neck has to contend with. So to my thinking, the lighter the helmet the better as long as its comfortable.

For sound, bluetooth and earbuds may be the best way to go if you can get it to work with your helmet, I think they make this technology for the popular helmet brands (but don't know for sure - it only makes sense). I don't ride two-up often enough to go down that path right now, but can see the possibility of doing so in the future.

Mike
 
Try the Evoline Shark. See the review in www.webbikeworld.com
I have it. See my review under product reviews. I've had it for several months. Mine is fitted with the Chatterbox Xbi2. Works perfectly. The helmet is very quiet for a modular and works great for a 3/4 helmet in the Summer.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom